Packing and process of making same



Ho Draw-ins.

v The invention relates to improved packing material suitable for gaskets, rod packings and various other uses, and to a procsee of making said material.

' The chief object of the invention is to provide a packing material ofthe character indicated that has efiective liquid and gas sealing qualities and also excellent lubricating qualities and that is durable and capable of being easily produced at low cost.

A furtherobject of the invention is to pro vide a packing material having satisfactory 'lubricatingfiproperties and which is at the same time 'ghly inert chemically.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and easily practiced process of producing a pac of thecharacter in question.

My invention involves essentially, first, treatment of abase material that is preferably more or less porous with extremely finely divided graphitic carbon in liquid suspension soas'to impregnate the base material with the liquid and carbon of the bath, and

second, removing the impregnated base material from the bath and evaporating the liquid rromthe material so as to leave the base material with a deposit of substantially pure,

. dr graphite the articles of which strongly base material.

The base material can be fibrous, as flax,

asbestos or metal wool; or-it can be ce11u- "lar, as balsa wood; or it canbe in powder form, as powdered metal, or it can be any other suitable material having pores or interstices or/and tissues capable of being penetrated by the finely divided graphite.

In preparing my im rove packing, I prefer to first form the ase material more or less completely to the shape of the finished packing as b weaving,bra1ding or felting in the case of brous material, or turning, borin'g'or. otherwise shaping to form in the case purpose of I 1 n narrow, or oanvnnenn; 0HIO.'

' a r: enn' raocass or r l Application filed much 19m. Serial No. 458,185.

of blocks of cellular material like wood, or pressing, with or without the admixture of a sultable bmder, in the case of powdered material. The suitably prepared base matem rial is then immersed in a liquid bath containing the defiocculated graphite in suspens on. In preparing this bath, any suitable hquid can be used as the vehicle for the suspension of the graphite, but water. is sate5 isfactoryl and I prefer to use it. The amount of grap ite used per unit volume of water can vary from a relatively "small amount up to the full amount the'water, is capable of holding in suspension, and will be deter- 7c mined by the nature of the base material, the thickness of graphite deposit desired, and the use to be'made of the packing.

en the. base material has become very thoroughlyvsoaked with the liquid, it is removed and the water allowed to evaporate. The dried packing is then found to be impregnated with dry graphite deposited from the liquid vehicle, In the case of a ve etable base material, the deflocculated grap ite in so suspension not only penetrates the intersti'ces or pores of the material but even the vegetable tissue itself;- Thus,in the case of a fibrous vegetable base, the graphite, on

evaporating the liquid vehicle, is found not only to be deposited on the fibres so'ext'ensivel and evenly that each individual fibre of t e mass is ractically covered with a coating of 'grap iteof which the particles strongly cohere together to form a coating which strongly adheres to the fibres, but even to have penetrated and been deposited in the very tissue of the fibres. Similarly, in the case of a cellular body such as a block of balsa wood, the gra hite not only penetrates the open pores of t e wood but also the tissue forming the cell walls of the wood, so that the" very tissues of the woodas well as its pores are im regnated with the The adhesion o the terial is of course in ependent of the liquid suspending vehicle or medium as the latter is evaporated out in the process. I

In carrying out the immersion treatment of the base material, the impregnation there- Y of can be hastened and increased by expelling the air from the pores or, interstices of the material so that the liquid is free to enter.' In the case ,of a loose porous or fibrous material, such as flax, a vigorous movement 119 or agitation of the material in the bath is suficient todislodge andexpel the air. In

A, use,

aphite. aphite to the ase maimp the case of denser materials, such as wood blocks or pressed lpowdered met-a1 or even closely woven or fe ted fibrous material, bet-. ter results may be secured by subjecting the bath with the packing material therein to the action of a vacuum, thus efi'ectively removing the air from the interstices of the packing material. This vacuum treatment can be used alone or in addition to the agitation of the material in the bath. If desired, the- O gen compressor. Again, I find that the pa dk' mg has very effective gas and 1i uid' sealing ualities, this being due, doubt ess, to the.

t orough enetration and impregnation of the interstices and even the tissue of the base material by the graphite. Another important uality of my improved packin is extreme y great durability. This I attribute to the fact that the defiocculated graphite when deposited from suspension strongly coheres together to form a coatin which strongly ad eres to the base materi Fibrous packing prepared in accordance with myinvention has proven to ,be very much more durable than any other fibrous packing known to me. e v

The process of producing-my improved packing, particularly the more commonly used fibrous packing, is obviously extremely simple and inexpensive to work, involving as it does simply the mixing of the defiocculated graphite with water, immersing the fibrous packing material in the liquid bath until it is thoroughly saturated, preferably agitating it in the bath as above described to remove air, removing it from the bath and allowing it to dry. 4

It will also be obvious that the base material, Cpqarticularly fibrous material, can be treate either in an uniformed mass, or pref erably more or less completely formed to the shape of the finished packing, as above su gested. One convenient way of making t e fibrous packin is to twist or weave the fibrous materia into cord form and then immerse the cord in the treating bath. Dhe

imp ated cord can then be cutto any desired" ength for the individual packing.

In the ,fore ing description -of the base material of t e packing, I have used the term porous? in a broad sense to indicate any structure characterized by minuteopenother lubricating packing known I t I 1ngs and correspondm interior s aces and surfaces to which the eflocculate graphite in dsuspension can penetrate and be depos ite Various modifications and applications of the invention within the scope of the a pended claims willoccur to those skilled In such matters.

What I claim is:

1. The process of making packing which includes immersin a base material in a liquid bath containing deflocculated graphite in suspension, removing the base material from the bath, and evaporating the liquid therefrom, thereby leaving thereon a dry adherent coating-of gra hits.

2. The process of ma 'ng packing which includes immersin porous material in a liquid bath containing deflocculated graphite in suspension, removing the porous material from the bath, and evaporating the liquid from said material, thereby leaving. thereon a dry adherent coating of graphite.

3. The process of making packing which includes immersin porous material in a liquid bath containing deflocculated graphite in suspension, removmg air from the interstitial spaces of the material to permit the liquid of the bath to enter said spaces, removing the porous material from the bath, and eva rat the liquid from said material, reb Ieaving on itsexterior and interstitial surfaces a dry adherent coating of gra hite.

4:. e process of m which includes immers' 've e material in a liquid bath containing eflocculated graphite in suspension until the gragihite particles have penetrated the. tissues 0 said material, removing the material from the bath, and exaporatm the liquid therefrom, thereby leaving in e tissues of the material and on the surfaces thereof a deposit of dry graphite.

5. The process of making packing which includes immersin liquid bath containing deflocculated gra bite in suspension, sub'ecting said bath wi the porous materialt erein to the action of a vacuum to remove air from the pores of the said material, removing the porous material from the bath, and evaporating the liquid from the material, thereby leavin on its ex-.

terior and interstitial surfaces 8. ry adherent coating of graphite. v

6. The process of making packing which includes immersing porous material in a liquidfbath eontainin deflooculatedgraphite in suspension, sub'ec ing said bath with the porous material. t erein to the action of a vacuum to remove air from the pores of the said material, subjecting the bathfiwith the porous material therein to a pressure greater than atmospheric, removing the porous matel-m1 from'the bath, and evaporating the porous material in a liquid from the material, thereby leaving on its exterior and interstitial surfaces a dry adherent coating of graphite. 4

7. A packing consisting of a base material and a coating of graphite deposited from a liquid suspension of deflocculated graphite onto the base material and directly adherent thereto, the adhesion of the graphite being independent of the liquid suspending medium.

8. A packing consisting of a porous body and a coating of graphite deposited from a liquid suspension of deflocculated graphite onto the body and directly adherent to the surface of the body'and to its interstitial surfaces, the adhesion of the aphite being independent of the liquid suspending medium. a

9. A packing consisting of a body of fibrous material and coatings of graphite deposited from a liquid sus nsion of deflocculated graphite onto 'sai body and directly adherent to the fiber of said material, the adhesion of the graphite bein independent of the liquid suspending me mm.

10. A packing consisting of a body of vegetable material and graphite deposited from a liquid suspension of deflocculated aphite onto said body and directly aderent to the exterior surfaces and to the tissues of said material, the adhesion of the graphite being independent of the liquid suspending medium.

11. A fibrous vegetable material and graphite deposited from a liquid suspension of deflocculated graphite onto said body and directly adherent to the exterior surfaces and to the tissues of the fibers of said material, the

adhesion of the graphite being independent 40 of the liquid suspending medium.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

BURNIE L. BENBOW.

packing consisting of a body of i 

